Bottom board for beehives.



PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

B. PRATT. BOTTOM BOARD FOR BEEHIVES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. 1906.

a SIIEETS-SHLEET 1.

THE NDRRiS PETERS 0a., WASHINOTON,-D:'C.

No. 874,863. PATENTED DEC. 24, 1907.

E. L. PRATT. BOTTOM BOARD FOR BEEHIVES.

nruonron FILED JULY 12. 190 6.

3 SHEETSSHBET 2;

QW/tmaowo/ THE NORRIS pzrzns co, WASHINGTON. n. c

No. 874,863. PATBNTED DEC. 24, 1907.

. E.L. PRATT.

BOTTOM BOARD'FOR BEEHIVES.

APPLICATION FILED 12. 1906. I

10 SGHEETB-SHEET s.

EUGENE L. PRATT, OF SWARTHMORE, PENNSYLVANIA.

BOTTOM BOARD FOR BEEHIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1907.

Application filed July 12, 1906. Serial No. 325,967.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE L. PRATT, of Swarthmore, in the county of Delaware and in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bottom Boards for Beehives, and dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bottom board constructed in accordance with my invention, but showing one of the appliances or attachments for use at the entrance; Fig. 2 a vertical section thereof; Fig. 3 a perspective view of said bottom board with an alighting board situated in. the bee way to contract the entrance to the minimum opening; Fig. 4 a similar view showing the alighting board adjusted to give an entrance opening half the width of the hive; Fig. 5 a vertical section showing the alighting board arranged to give a wide open entrance, as in warm weather; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the queen and drone excluder slide and the trap box, separated from each other; Fig. 7 is a vertical section showing said slide and trap box arranged for use, the alighting board also being shown; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the trap box alone, viewed from the back; Fig. 9 a perspective view of my bottom board provided with a bee-stop in the form of a slide made of wire cloth; Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the slide, which may be used either as a bee escape for ridding the supers of bees, or as a robber trap; Figs. 11 and 12 are perspective-views showing said slide arranged, respectively, for a bee escape and a robber trap; Fig. 13 is a erspective view of a slide for use to obviate the likelihood of the bees flying from the hives at inopportune times in winter; and, Fig. 14 a perspective view showing my bottom board provided with a bee-feeder.

The object of my invention is to provide a bottom board for bee-hives, which will be of exceedingly simple construction, and will permit of such adjustment or manipulation and use of attachments as will enable the complete and rapid control and regulation of the hive entrance, with no disturbance of the bees, or labor in lifting conditions in changes of temperature and requirements with which the apiarist must meet, such as the necessity for checking the flight of queens and drones, or removal of the hive; to meet the drones, the confinement of all the bees, as for transportation or shipment, clearing of the honey comb of bees; breaking up robbing; the feeding of the bees; the ventilation of the hive in winter; and the control of the flight of the bees in'winter, and to these ends,

My invention consists in the bottom board and its attachments constructed substantially as hereinafter specified and claimed.

In constructing my bottom board, I employ two side rails A and two cross rails B and C, cross rail B being located at a point about one-third of the length of said side rails from the front ends thereof, and the cross-rail C being located at the extreme rear ends of the side rails, the side and cross rails being nailed firmly together. On their inner sides, the side rails and the rear cross rail are slotted or grooved horizontally the distance of a bee space, or three-eighths of an inch from their upper edges, and seated with their edges in the grooves or slots are thin boards D that close the space between the side rails A and between the cross rails B and C, the upper surface of said boards D being thus a bee-space below the combs when the hive rests on the top of the bottom board. The groove in each side rail for ward from the cross rail B is utilized as is hereinafter described.

The space between the side rails in front of the cross rail B is closed at the bottom by means of a thin board E nailed to the rails, and it will be seen that there is thus provided at the front of the bottom board a deep beeway extending from the front end of the bottom board rearward about a third of the length of the bottom board. The board E, besides closing the space at the bottom, gives the bottom board all requisite strength at its front and prevents spreading of the side rails thereat; and to strengthen the side rails at the rear end and prevent their spreading at this point, a cross strip F is nailed to the lower edge of the back rail C and the side rails; and, of course, the boards D are an element of strength to the bottom board. In construction, therefore, my .bottom board is simple, inexpensive and strong.

The alighting board G, which I have designed for use with my bottom board, is shown in Figs. 3, 1 and 5, and consists of a board or piece whose width is that of the space between the side rails A, and it has at edges of the strips,

each side a narrow bar or strip 9 which projects behind the rear edge of the alighting board, and upon its upper side the alighting board has two transversely extending strips 9 and g which, at the transverse centre of the alighting board, are separated by a space of about two inches at the forward which enlarges rearward inclining or beveling the opor inward by the strips. Said strips T and posing ends of V g are of different widths, the strip g, for

example, being seven-eighths of an inch wide, and the other one being three-eighths of an inch wide. It will be evident, when the alighting board is given such position, that both strips g and g are under the front wall of the hive, the bee intrance will be reduced to the space between the inner ends of the two strips; by withdrawing the alighting board sufliciently to remove the narrow strip from beneath the front wall of the hive, but leaving a portion of the wider strip still beneath such front wall, then the bee entrance will be of an extent equal to the distance of the inner end of the wider strip to the opposite side rail A; and by withdrawing the alighting board sufficiently far to remove the wider strip 9 from beneath the front wall of the hive, the hive entrance will have a width equal to the entire space between the two side rails, and when the alighting board is adjusted to give the full width entrance, it is, as is shown in Fig. 5, tilted at an angle, so that it inclines forward and downward from the front of the hive, in which position it is supported or maintained by suitable stops which engage the upper sides of the side strips 9 near their rear ends, which stops may consist of pins or staples driven in the side rails, or a slide, as hereinafter described, inserted in the grooves in the side rails in advance of the cross rail B. {he rearward projecting portions of the strips 9, besides their function as a support for the alighting board in an inclined position, are also of importance in that they prevent bees being crushed when the alighting board is slid into place, as they prevent the rear edge of the alighting board pressing bees against the front cross rail B. Very slight movements of the alighting board are required for its adjustment to vary the size of the entrance, e variation of the size of the entrance being important to suit the strength of the colony or for regulating ventilation, or because of sudden changes of temperature.

The queen and drone ploy consists, as is shown in Figs. 6 and 7, of a perforated sheet I of zinc, having perforations of the usual form and applied to a light rectangular frame 2' adapted to be slid into and out of the grooves in the front ends of the side rails A, so as to completely close the assage through the bottom board into the 've, except to worker bees. To prevent excluder that I em crushing bees by the insertion of this slide, and others to be used with my bottom board, the front cross rail B has in its front side, at its top, a transverse rabbet or groove, which will leave sufficient space between the rear of the slide when properly inserted in position and said cross bar or rail B, to prevent pinching or crushing of the bees.

Instead of cutting the rabbet or groove in the cross rail B, the same object may be obtained by cutting away the front edge of the thin board which overlies the cross rail B. WVhen the excluder slide is in position, there is a wide, deep bee-way under it for the worker bees to enter before they pass through the perforations in the sheet of zinc, and this is a feature of great value, because no barrier to the bees as they approach the hive is visible, and a wide-open entrance is presented to them, so that clogging of the entrance by the bees, which is apt to occur if they perceive that there is a narrow or contracted entrance, and which is objectionable because of its interferencewith proper ventilation of the hive, will not occur. A contracted opening for the exit of queens or drones is provided by two cross bars or strips i applied to the front bar of the frame I, which extend from the side rails A nearly to the center, where a comparatively narrow space is left between the inner ends of said bars or strips, and. this opening may be closed at will, when desired, as for example, to exclude mice in winter, by means of a strip of tin or sheet metal 73 slidably mounted upon one of the bars or strips '5, so that it may be slid into and out of position to close the opening between the ends of said bar or strips 11. Said slide constitutes a very simple device for closing the opening and it can be very quickly withdrawn, when necessary, to clear the entrance of dead bees and rubbish.

F or trapping escaping drones I employ a trap box which consists of a simple long nar row box K, preferably of a length equal to the widthof the drone slide, which has at its rear wall an opening 75 to register with the excluder exit, there being within the box, oversaid opening k, a cone 7c of wire cloth to prevent the drones, after passing into the box, from getting out of the same. The trap box may be secured in position by providing a staple or eye If at each end, through which a nail or tack may be passed and driven into a contiguous portion of the hive. The trap box may thus be quickly removed and replaced for any purpose, such as disposing of dead drones. The trap box may be used also for trapping queens in swarming time, thus making unnecessary clipping of queens and preventing loss of swarms or for checking the flights of virgin queens when desired. The direct application of the trap box in the manner shown and described is most advantageous, in that it results in the prompt and when it is desired to move in of them out of the way of the coming and goin workers, so that the drones cannot gather about the entrance to die and fuss there, retarding ventilation of the hive in When it is desired to confine bees to the hive for any reason, such, for example, as

bees in them, to an out-yard, for shipping the bees, or for cell-starting, this may be certain capture of the drones and the keepwarm weather.

the hives with the done, as illustrated in Fig. 9 by the employ- 'ment of a slide consisting of a rectangular frame L covered with wire cloth Z, said slide, when slid into the grooves in the side rails A, completely closing the entrance to the .passage of bees, and yet allowing for perfect ventilation of the hive by reason of the employment of the wire cloth. When this stop or guard is applied, the bees in making attempts to escape will crowd at the front, because of the light at this point, so that the greater portion of the wire cloth will be unobstructed by the bees and,'therefore, there will be ample ventilation, avoiding any danger of suffocation of the bees.

In Fig. 10, I show a slide adapted for use either as a bee escape, to rid the supers of bees, or as a robber trap, it consisting of a board or piece M of such dimensions as to fill the space between the rails A in front. of the cross bar or rail B, having near one edge a series of holes or perforations Z for the passage of bees, and on one side a triangular chamber with which said holes communicate, conveniently formed of a triangular sheet of wire cloth N, supported a proper distance away from the board, an apex of which is at the edge of the slide opposite that near which the holes are located, through which apex is a bee opening. When it is used as a bee escape, the slide is applied, as shown in Fig. 11, with the tri-angular chamber at the under side thereof, so that bees will pass from the hive through the holes I, and thence through the tri-angular chamber, and out through the opening at the apex thereof. When it is used as a robber trap, said slide is applied in the reverse position from that shown in Fig. 11, so that, as shown in Fig. 12, the holes are at the front of the bottom board, and the triangular chamber is at the top thereof, so that robber bees entering the entrance at the front of the bottom board will pass up through the holes 1 into the tri-angular chamber, and thence through the opening at the apex thereof into the hive, from which they cannot thereafter escape. The slide is withdrawn at evening, and thus used robbing will speedily be broken up.

It is desirable in winter, when snow is on the ground, to prevent bees from flying from the hive, and they are tempted to fly at such a time when the sun strikes full upon the entrance. To prevent this occurring, I convert the entrance into a low deep dark one, by employing a slide, as shown in Fig. 13, which consists of a rectangular board or piece having in its rear or inner edge an elongated notch or slot 0. With this slide in place, the bees will remain in the hive till the tempera ture is suitable for flight.

The feeder I have designed for use with my bottom board is shown in Fig. 14, and consists of a box-like receptacle or tray P, adapted to be readily slid into and out of the bee way between the side rails A, it being given such dimensions as to fill such way, except at one side thereof, to leave space for the passage of bees. Near one end the receptacle or tray has a vertical partition 1), between which and an adjacent end of the tray is formed a small chamber, open at the top, while the remainder of the top of the tray or receptacle is covered by wire cloth to prevent access of the bees to the contents,

except at the small chamber at the end of the tray or receptacle. In its bottom edge the partition 1) has several perforations p to establish communication with the syrup or feed between the main portion of the tray and said small chamber. When the feeder is to be filled, it is necessary merely to pull out one corner of it and pour in the feed from a tea-pot or other suitable vessel. With the feeder constructed and applied as described, it is readily accessible to the bees, contracts the entrance to a desirable size, causes no disturbance of the bees, and avoids any disarrangement of the hive in either applying or filling with feed, checks the entrance of robber bees, and detrimental currents of air in early spring, and the escape of the beeheat so necessary for development of the brood.

To provide for ventilation of hives used in places where bees are wintered out of doors, and the entrance is apt to be closed by snow, holes 6 may be provided in the bottom cross piece E adjacent the cross bar or rail B and such holes covered with wire cloth 6, which openings may be opened or closed at will, by means of a pivoted cover Qon the underside of the bottom piece or board E.

It will be seen that the slides may be manipulated either for application to place, re.- moval or adjustment, without any disturbance Whatever to the hive adjustment, such manipulation being accomplished wholly from the outside. The partial withdrawal of a slide is useful, as for example, during heavy flows of honey and with extra strong colonies of bees, for by the partial withdrawal of the slide, the bees will be compelled to leave the hive through the passage provided above the slide by its partial withdrawal, and to re turn by the entraneebelow the slide, so that there will be no crowding, such as is the case when the outgoing and incoming bees use the same passage.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A bottom board for bee hives having its upper surfaces in different horizontal planes, the surface in the lower plane being the bottom of a relatively deep chamber that opens at the end of the bottom board and is uncovered at the top, and having. means for removably supporting attachments.

2. A bottom board for bee hives, comprising side rails, grooves in the inner sides of the side rails, a piece or pieces situated in said grooves and closing the space between the side rails for a portion of their length only from front to rear, and attachments fitted for engagement with the grooves for the remaining portion of the length of the bottom board.

3. A bottom board for bee hives having a chambered end forming a beeentrance, and an alighting board movably placed in such end, and adjustable to different positions therein, said alighting board having a member or members that are placed in different relations to the bee entrance by adjustment of the alighting board therein.

4. The combination of a hive having an entrance opening and an alighting board slidably and tiltingly-shiftable in the hive entrance, and having means to cooperate with such entrance to vary the size of the entrance opening.

5. An alighting board for bee hives, having strips of different Width separated by a space, and shiftablc to change the position of said strips With reference to the entrance, to vary the size of the entrance opening.

6. The combination of a bottom board for bee hives, having a chambered end forming a bee entrance, a hive resting on said bottom board, and a removable perforated member supported horizontally in such entrance at the top of the chamber next the lower side of the hive.

7. The combination of a bottom board for bee hives, having a chambered end forming a bee entrance, and a removable bee-feeder in such entrance consisting of a boX or tray conforming to the chamber, but less in width than the same.

8. The combination with a bottom board for bee hives having an entrance chamber, a reversible attachment therefor, supported in said chamber and having a bee passage with a contracted. exit, whereby said attachment may be used either as a bee escape or as a robber trap.

9. The combination with a bottom board an attachment therefor consisting of a frame, having acontracted bee passage, said passage being formed by a space between bars on. the frame and a slide for opening or closing such passage mountedon one of the bars.

10. The combination of a bottom board having a chambered. end forming a bee entrance, an attachment for such entrance having different sets of bee passages, one of which is a contracted opening, and a trap consisting of a box extending crosswise of the entrance, and having an opening in communication with said contracted opening.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand.

EUGENE L. PRATT.

. l/Vitnesses:

PATIENCE W. KENT, GERTRUDE K. VVALTON. 

